Just recently, I realized, in a meaningful way, the hormone that allows us to bond with each other and the hormone that creates the sensation of being high were two separate hormones. Namely, one allows us to connect with each other to form groups; it goes to the formation of collectives. The other rewards us for meeting and satisfying personal needs. Oxytocin is a hormone that encourages a mother to bond with her child; it encourages couples to form relationships, and it goes to the cohesion found in groups. It gives us a sense of belonging; it instills in us a need for loyalty. On the other hand, dopamine rewards us as we meet personal needs, such as our needs for food and sex; it is that hormone that allows us to survive among conflicting desires; it goes toward the survival of the individual.

Both hormones are good; social and personal needs are essential to the development of us as a species.

The problem arises as we have a tendency to favor some needs over others, or societal needs are pitted against personal needs and vice versa. Oxytocin has been called the love hormone, and dopamine can lead to addictive behaviour, behaviour that puts one's personal desires above the welfare of others. Religion has termed these two separate phenomena as love and lust. The Church has long taught: to sacrifice one's personal needs for the welfare of others was true love. It has also taught: the indulgence of a temptation for fleshy desires was lust. Given to either extreme, whether sacrificing oneself, completely, to the whims and desires of the group or sacrificing the group, entirely, to the whims and desires of the individual is a sin. A healthy organism, whether being a group or an individual, must achieve a tendency towards balance; we must not forget a group is made of individuals and individuals are supported by the group.

At 2/28/2015 9:59:14 AM, s-anthony wrote:Just recently, I realized, in a meaningful way, the hormone that allows us to bond with each other and the hormone that creates the sensation of being high were two separate hormones. Namely, one allows us to connect with each other to form groups; it goes to the formation of collectives. The other rewards us for meeting and satisfying personal needs. Oxytocin is a hormone that encourages a mother to bond with her child; it encourages couples to form relationships, and it goes to the cohesion found in groups. It gives us a sense of belonging; it instills in us a need for loyalty. On the other hand, dopamine rewards us as we meet personal needs, such as our needs for food and sex; it is that hormone that allows us to survive among conflicting desires; it goes toward the survival of the individual.

Both hormones are good; social and personal needs are essential to the development of us as a species.

The problem arises as we have a tendency to favor some needs over others, or societal needs are pitted against personal needs and vice versa. Oxytocin has been called the love hormone, and dopamine can lead to addictive behaviour, behaviour that puts one's personal desires above the welfare of others. Religion has termed these two separate phenomena as love and lust. The Church has long taught: to sacrifice one's personal needs for the welfare of others was true love. It has also taught: the indulgence of a temptation for fleshy desires was lust. Given to either extreme, whether sacrificing oneself, completely, to the whims and desires of the group or sacrificing the group, entirely, to the whims and desires of the individual is a sin. A healthy organism, whether being a group or an individual, must achieve a tendency towards balance; we must not forget a group is made of individuals and individuals are supported by the group.

That's fascinating.

You cannot choose whether or not you will live by rules, but you can choose which rules you will live by. --Me

"I was wrong. Squirrels are objectively superior to bunnies in every conceivable dimension."
--Joey

At 2/28/2015 9:59:14 AM, s-anthony wrote:Just recently, I realized, in a meaningful way, the hormone that allows us to bond with each other and the hormone that creates the sensation of being high were two separate hormones. Namely, one allows us to connect with each other to form groups; it goes to the formation of collectives. The other rewards us for meeting and satisfying personal needs. Oxytocin is a hormone that encourages a mother to bond with her child; it encourages couples to form relationships, and it goes to the cohesion found in groups. It gives us a sense of belonging; it instills in us a need for loyalty. On the other hand, dopamine rewards us as we meet personal needs, such as our needs for food and sex; it is that hormone that allows us to survive among conflicting desires; it goes toward the survival of the individual.

Both hormones are good; social and personal needs are essential to the development of us as a species.

The problem arises as we have a tendency to favor some needs over others, or societal needs are pitted against personal needs and vice versa. Oxytocin has been called the love hormone, and dopamine can lead to addictive behaviour, behaviour that puts one's personal desires above the welfare of others. Religion has termed these two separate phenomena as love and lust. The Church has long taught: to sacrifice one's personal needs for the welfare of others was true love. It has also taught: the indulgence of a temptation for fleshy desires was lust. Given to either extreme, whether sacrificing oneself, completely, to the whims and desires of the group or sacrificing the group, entirely, to the whims and desires of the individual is a sin. A healthy organism, whether being a group or an individual, must achieve a tendency towards balance; we must not forget a group is made of individuals and individuals are supported by the group.